Flowers of wine or…?

[Jpb220]

Hi everyone. I recently posted about making my first wine this year - a fig wine and everyone was very welcoming and helped me sort out some issues I thought I was having. So thanks for all that!

My wines progressing in two secondary fermenters, one large five gallon one and one small gallon size container. The gallon size container is extra and will be used to top of the larger one as I rerack.

The gallon size fermenter cleared up nicely in a few days, however the large one has developed some weird clumpy things near the top. Not really a film, but I’m concerned about it. The recipe I was following said that I did not need sulphide at all until I back sweetened, which I now realize might be a mistake. I attached some pictures.

What should I do? Just add sulphide? Rerack immediately? Leave it? My inclination is to scoop out whatever it is, and add some NAmeta and only rerack once it’s clear.

 

[salcoco]

rack immediately. add Kmeta 1/4 tsp for 5 gallons/ check ph adjust as necessary insure air lock is good fit.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Put that wine in the gallon jug in a smaller container. Reduce headspace.

 

[wineview]

I use potassium metabisulphate (kmeta). Don’t want sodium in the wine. If you have #3 drilled bungs you can put the leftover wine in a couple of wine bottles. That head space will kill you.

 

[Clover]

I've had trouble twice making fig wine - both batches got flowers. The first time it was really bad but I salvaged it to become a really decent wine. The second time I added more kmeta to the must try to prevent it and got flowers again, but not as bad. That batch is currently bulk aging, and I will need to add kmeta at the next racking again to be safe. I think it's because of the way fig fruit is formed on the tree - too many nasties hide inside the fruit. Next batch I intend to use even more kmeta and let it do it's thing longer before I pitch yeast.

 

[Jpb220]

I've had trouble twice making fig wine - both batches got flowers. The first time it was really bad but I salvaged it to become a really decent wine. The second time I added more kmeta to the must try to prevent it and got flowers again, but not as bad. That batch is currently bulk aging, and I will need to add kmeta at the next racking again to be safe. I think it's because of the way fig fruit is formed on the tree - too many nasties hide inside the fruit. Next batch I intend to use even more kmeta and let it do it's thing longer before I pitch yeast.

Is it flowers though? They’re actually dissipating since I posted, I think they might have been yeast that hasn’t dropped.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

It looks like gas bubbles picked up lees from bottom

 

[Clover]

Is it flowers though? They’re actually dissipating since I posted, I think they might have been yeast that hasn’t dropped.

I can only answer to my experience, but when both of my fig wines formed this kind of film, it only got worse and reappeared even after rackings. My current batch has been racked twice, and the film is forming around the edges again but less of it and more slowly, likely because I've treated it with kmeta. This film will crumble and fall into the wine when it's moved. Since it comes back, I feel like it's an infection of some sort, and also because the wine is clear I'm certain it isn't yeast.

I put overage from primary into air locked wine bottles for topping off, and boy is it nasty. I've just left it alone to see what continues to happen, but here's a pic from about a month ago. It's even more gross now.

 

[Jpb220]

I can only answer to my experience, but when both of my fig wines formed this kind of film, it only got worse and reappeared even after rackings. My current batch has been racked twice, and the film is forming around the edges again but less of it and more slowly, likely because I've treated it with kmeta. This film will crumble and fall into the wine when it's moved. Since it comes back, I feel like it's an infection of some sort, and also because the wine is clear I'm certain it isn't yeast.

I put overage from primary into air locked wine bottles for topping off, and boy is it nasty. I've just left it alone to see what continues to happen, but here's a pic from about a month ago. It's even more gross now.

View attachment 106520

Interesting. Mine is definitely not the same as that, and it’s actually dissipated. I think the other poster might have got it right…lees that was picked up and hasn’t fallen yet. I’ve been monitoring and it’s been dissipating as time goes on. I’ll be sure to add NA meta or tablets when I rerack though. I racked when it was still fermenting so I think there is still a good amount of CO2 in the headspace of both my containers keeping it sterile.

 

[Jpb220]

Just wanted to give an update to this:

Flamingoemporium had it right I think. I didn’t touch the fermenter until yesterday when I transferred it off the lees to a secondary container, and by yesterday almost all of those weird floaty objects had dissipated. So I think they were just some lees that were either picked up by CO2 or hadn’t fallen yet. I’ll update if they form again but I doubt it.